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Occupational Health & Safety Today

Today’s global OHS workplace environment is very different from 20 years ago. It is more complex and there is mounting legislative obligations for employers. Retaining experienced & knowledgeable workers becomes a challenge for employers as Canadian workers will approach retirement within the next few years and possibly leave a shortage of qualified, experienced safety professionals.

Having competent safety professionals is important to any business as every employer must meet the Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations. More organisations are turning to certified health and safety professionals because of the enormous costs associated with occupational incidents. A wide variety of industries ranging from agriculture, manufacturing, health care and construction, make it a requirement for safety professionals to understand the complexities of managing health and safety which demands expertise and experience.

So, what should you look for when hiring a safety professional? Employers should look for OHS professionals who are certified through a professional certification program. Independent third-party accreditations are available to certification organizations, including accreditation to the international standard ISO/IEC 17024. Accreditation of a certification program ensures that there is open and accountable governance practices, peer and public participation in the development of the certification, financial disclosure, fairness to candidates, valid and reliable examinations, recertification procedures are in place, the certification process is independent from training or preparation, and that a management system is followed. The CRSP® certification is the only accredited ISO 17024 certification for occupational health and safety in Canada, and the CRSP designation is a widely accepted form of recognition by industry and government. In addition to the CRSP®, a new certification was introduced in 2018 to support the evolving needs of industry. The Canadian Registered Safety Technician (CRST) certification supports a safe working environment by maintaining OHS administrative processes, conducting training and using a range of state-of-the-art tools, processes and common practice solutions to OHS risks. They oversee and drive monitoring and compliance in relation to technical and behavioral risk controls.

BCRSP is committed to uphold the CRSP® and CRST certifications and certificants follow a Code of Ethics (Rules of Professional Conduct).

The Board also received the ISO 9001 Certificate of Registration for their Quality Management System, which covers the provision of (not-for-profit associations) examination and accreditation services for certificants.

Individuals who hold the CRSP® and/or CRST certifications have met academic, experience and examination requirements of a national registration authority. CRSPs and CRSTs are committed to the principles of loss control. Their knowledge and skills are continually upgraded through a continuous professional development program. This ensures you always have a qualified and up-to-date practitioners developing and managing your health and safety systems.

Increasing health hazards in the workplace, mounting legislative obligations for employers, and the enormous costs associated with occupational mishaps all add up to one strong message: you can't afford anything less than a health and safety professional. The days when you gave the safety job to anyone who showed an interest are long gone. The complexities of managing health and safety-from identifying potential hazards to controlling these hazards-demand expertise and experience.

The Solutions

Hire Canadian Registered Safety Professionals and Canadian Registered Safety Technicians.

What is a CRSP®?

What is a CRST?

An individual who has met the academic, experience and examination requirements of a national registration authority.

An individual with in-depth knowledge of health and safety principles and practices who uses this knowledge to develop systems in your workplace in order to achieve optimum control over hazards detrimental to people, equipment, material and the environment.

An individual committed to the principles of loss control, accident prevention and environmental protection.

An individual whose knowledge and skills are continually upgraded through a continuous professional development program to ensure you always have a qualified, up-to-date professional managing your health and safety interests.

An individual committed to a Code of Ethics (Rules of Professional Conduct).

An individual who has met a combination of academic, experience and examination requirements of a national registration authority.

An individual who supports a safe working environment by maintaining OHS administrative processes, conducting training and using a range of state-of-the-art tools, processes and common practice solutions to OHS risks.

An individual who oversees and drives monitoring and compliance in relation to technical and behavioral risk controls.

An individual who is a skilled implementer of OHS activities and an effective OHS supporter and communicator at the site level.

An individual whose knowledge and skills are continually upgraded through a continuous professional development program to ensure you always have a qualified, up-to-date technicians managing your health and safety interests.

An individual committed a Code of Ethics (Rules of Professional Conduct).

Additional Benefits of Employing individuals certified as either a CRSP or CRST:

You'll have a professional with a portable certification that is recognized nationally and internationally.

You'll save money since a CRSP® and CRST can step into a job, eliminating the need for your organisation to invest in training someone about health and safety.

You get a pre-screened individual to help expedite your own recruitment process.

HERE'S JUST A SAMPLE OF LEADING ORGANISATIONS EMPLOYING CERTIFIED INDIVIDUALS

AECON

City of Calgary

Enbridge

ENFORM

General Motors

Graham Construction and Engineering Inc.

Imperial Oil

Ontario Ministry of Labour

Suncor

Syncrude Canada

Toronto Hydro

Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS)

Workplace Safety North (WSN)

WorkSafeBC

Background on the Governing Body

The Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (BCRSP) is a not-for-profit, public interest body association established in 1976 for the purpose of certifying qualified Occupational Health and Safety practitioners as Canadian Registered Safety Professionals or Canadian Registered Safety Technicians. The BCRSP is governed by a Board of Governors, composed of leading OHS professionals from a cross-section of safety disciplines and one Public Member.

The BCRSP was established as a certification body, responsible and accountable to the Federal Government and to the stakeholders of the BCRSP. The primary functions of the Governing Board are to evaluate the qualifications of prospective certificants, to administer examinations, to approve and issue certificates of registration, to maintain the continous professional development program and to initiate disciplinary action against any certificant found guilty of violating the BCRSP's Code of Ethics (Rules of Professional Conduct).

The BCRSP currently has nearly 5000 active certificants nationally, including health and safety managers, occupational health nurses, industrial hygienists and other specialists" and has certified over 6000+ individuals since its incorporation in 1976.

BCRSP Mission Statement

The Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals sets certification standards for occupational health and safety professionals.